Small-town boy Shawn MacArthur has come to New York City with nothing. Barely earning a living selling counterfeit goods on the streets, his luck changes when scam artist Harvey Boarden sees that he has a natural talent for streetfighting. When Harvey offers Shawn help at making the real cash, the two form an uneasy partnership. As Shawn’s manager, Harvey introduces him to the corrupt bare-knuckle circuit, where rich men bet on disposable pawns. Almost overnight, he becomes a star brawler, taking down professional boxers, mixed martial arts champs and ultimate fighters in a series of staggeringly intense bouts. But if Shawn ever hopes to escape the dark world in which he’s found himself, he must now face the toughest fight of his life.
Fact : Also known as “Runnin’”, this movie is written and directed by Dito Montiel.
Note : Native American, Irish, and French descent Channing Tatum is skilled in Kung Fu and in Gor-Chor Kung Fu, a form of martial arts, in which he has earned belts in both.
Star(s) to watch : Channing Tatum (”She’s the Man”, “Step Up”, “War of the Worlds”) as Sean Arthur, & Terrence Howard (”Iron Man”, “The Brave One”, “Awake”) as Harvey Boarden.
Director(s) : Dito Montiel. Producer(s) : Kevin Misher & Patrick Baker. Genre : Crime, Gangster, Sport, Action, Drama. Release date : April 24, 2009 Official website : http://www.FightingMovie.net
A successful professional man with a beautiful wife finds his idyllic life threatened by a temp in his office who reveals herself as a stalker. Derek Charles, a successful asset manager who has just received a huge promotion, is blissfully happy in his career and in his marriage to the beautiful Beth. But when Lisa, a temp worker, starts stalking Derek, everything he’s worked so hard for, are placed in jeopardy.
Fact : Ranked #2 on Maxim’s “Hottest Women of Horror Movies” list, Ali Larter was considered for the role Susan Storm/The Invisible Woman in “Fantastic Four” (2005).
Note : Beyonce Knowles is the lead singer of the singing group Destiny’s Child. She was voted number 1 on VH1’s 100 Hottest Hotties.
Star(s) to watch : Jerry O’Connell (”Scream 2″, “Tomcats”, “Kangaroo Jack”) as Ben, Ali Larter (”Final Destination”, “Resident Evil: Extinction”) as Lisa Sheridan, & Beyonce Knowles (”Austin Powers in Goldmember”, “The Pink Panther”) as Beth Charles.
Director(s) : Steve Shill. Producer(s) : Beyonce Knowles, Matthew Knowles, & William Packer. Genre : Thriller, Drama. Release date : April 24, 2009 Official website : http://www.AreYouObsessed.com/
At the end of the Ice Age, The Machine came from the outer space with the purpose to change men into mutants. However, a hero defeated the device and a great seal was laid over The Machine. In 2707, the depleted world is ruled by four Corporations: Mishima, Bauhaus, Capitol and Imperial that are in constant war. During a battle between Capitol and Bauhaus, the great seal is broken and The Machine works again transforming soldiers and civilians in hordes of mutants. A small part of the population escapes to Mars, leaving millions of people behind. The man of faith and leader of an ancient brotherhood Brother Samuel is a believer of God and the Chronicles, a bible about the mutants. With the city under siege of the mutants, he visits the Corporations’ leader Constantine asking for an aircraft and twenty men for a suicide mission to destroy The Machine, planting a bomb and a detonator following the knowledge of the Chronicles. He recruits the tough Major ‘Mitch’ Hunter; the Bauhaus Lieutenant Maximillian von Steiner; the keeper of the Chronicles Severian that is under a vow of silence; the gorgeous and lethal Corporal Valerie Duval; Corporal Juba Kim Wu; Captain John McGuire; and Corporal Jesus ‘El Jesus’ de Barrera.
Together they become the last hope of Earth against the evil mutants.
Fact : Like Dolph Lundgren in the earlier “The Punisher” (1989) movie, half Irish, a quarter Italian and a quarter German, Thomas Jane dyed his hair jet black to match the original comic book character. In a 2005 interview, he claimed that “The Punisher” (2004) was both the most fun and the most physically exhausting movie he has done. He starred in two movies based on Stephen King’s novels: “Dreamcatcher” (2003) and “The Mist” (2007). Thomas Jane was Zack Snyder’s first choice for Edward Blake/The Comedian in “Watchmen” (2009), but he had to turn it down because of scheduling conflicts.
Note : Japanese, German, and English ancestry, Devon Aoki won the role of a street racer in “2 Fast 2 Furious” (2003) but, as it turned out, she didn’t know how to drive.
Star(s) to watch : Thomas Jane (”Face/Off”, “Deep Blue Sea”, “The Punisher”, “Original Sin”) as Major Mitch Hunter, Ron Perlman (”Blade II”, “Hellboy”, “Alien Resurrection”) as Brother Samuel, John Malkovich (”Con Air”, “The Man in the Iron Mask”, “Eragon”) as Constantine, & Devon Aoki (”Sin City”, “DOA: Dead or Alive”, “2 Fast 2 Furious”, “War”) as Cpl. Valerie Duval.
Director(s) : Simon Hunter. Producer(s) : Stephen Belafonte, Tim Dennison, Peter La Terriere, Edward R. Pressman, & Pras. Genre : Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Adaptation. Release date : April 24, 2009 Official website : http://www.MutantChroniclesTheMovie.com/
Handsome, unflappable U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) is the future of his political party: an honorable appointee who serves as the chairman of a committee overseeing defense spending. All eyes are upon the rising star to be his party’s contender for the upcoming presidential race. Until his research assistant/mistress is brutally murdered and buried secrets come tumbling out. McCaffrey (Russell Crowe) has the dubious fortune of both an old friendship with Collins and a ruthless editor, Cameron, who has assigned him to investigate. As he and partner Della (Rachel McAdams) try to uncover the killer’s identity, McCaffrey steps into a cover-up that threatens to shake the nation’s power structures. And in a town of spin-doctors and wealthy politicos, he will discover one truth: when billions are at stake, no one’s integrity, love or life is ever safe.
Fact : Based on the BBC mini-series of the same title, a team of investigative reporters work alongside a police detective to try to solve the murder of a congressman’s mistress. This movie reunites Ben Affleck and Jason Bateman following their blockbuster movie of 2007 “Smokin’ Aces”.
Note : Russell Crowe takes over the role Brad Pitt vacated in the Universal Pictures movie “State of Play,” directed by Kevin Macdonald. Edward Norton has followed Brad Pitt out the door. Norton is the latest cast member to exit “State of Play,” a dramatic movie set up at Universal. Ben Affleck takes on the role Norton had originally signed on to play.
Star(s) to watch : Ben Affleck (”Armageddon”, “Reindeer Games”, “Pearl Harbor”, “The Sum of All Fears”, “Daredevil”) as Stephen Collins, Jason Bateman (”Forgetting Sarah Marshall”, “Hancock”) as Dominic Foy, Russell Crowe (”Gladiator”, “The Quick and the Dead”, “Virtuosity”) as Cal McCaffrey, Jeff Daniels (”Speed”, “101 Dalmatians”, “Blood Work”) as George Fergus, & Rachel McAdams (”Red Eye”, “The Hot Chick”) as Della.
Director(s) : Kevin MacDonald. Producer(s) : Paul Abbott, Andrew Hauptman, Eric Fellner, & Tim Bevan. Tagline : “Nothing is off the record.” Genre : Drama, Adaptation, Crime, Thriller. Release date : April 17, 2009 Official website : http://stateofplaymovie.net/
Directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor are bringing us “Crank 2: High Voltage”, the sequel to the previous “Crank” movie. Jason Statham is reprising his role as hitman Chev Chelios. This time Jason Statham is definitely on high voltage: he’s literally chasing his heart! Hitman Chev Chelios launches himself on an electrifying chase through Los Angeles in pursuit of the Chinese mobster who has stolen his nearly indestructible heart and replaced it with a battery-powered heart that requires regular jolts of electricity to keep working.
Fact : Written and directed by Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor.
Note : All the naughty boys and girls out there will be glad to know there will be another public sex scene with Jason Statham, this time taking place on a horse racing track.
Star(s) to watch : Jason Statham (”The Transporter”, “The One”, “Cellular”, “The Italian Job”) as Chev Chelios, Holly Weber (”You Don’t Mess with the Zohan”) as Goldie, Nicole Randall as Strip Please Gang, Mandy Amano as Amanda, & Anne Girard (”Pathology”) as Nevada.
Director(s) : Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor. Producer(s) : Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Skip Williamson, & Richard Wright. Genre : Action, Adventure, Comedy, Thriller, Sequel. Release date : April 17, 2009 Official website : http://www.Crank2.com
Popular high school senior Mike O’Donnell (Zac Efron) seemingly has it all. He is a star athlete headed straight for a college scholarship when he decides to give it up to settle down with his high school girlfriend Scarlet. Twenty five years later, an adult Mike (played by Matthew Perry) finds his life is not exactly what he expected. He is separated from his wife, Scarlett (Leslie Mann) and living with his best friend Ned Freedman (Thomas Lennon), his career at a pharmaceutical company is at a stand still, and his relationships with his teenage children are nonexistent. After getting passed up for yet another promotion at work, he returns to his high school to reminisce over his basketball awards and the life he could have had. While he is reliving his past, he is approached by a janitor and shares with him how things were so much better when he was 17. As Mike is driving home from the high school, he sees the mysterious janitor standing on the ledge preparing to jump into the Los Angeles River. Mike rushes out of his car to rescue him, but when he gets there, the janitor has vanished. What Mike doesn’t realize is that he is about to fall into the river and turn into his 17 year old self. Young Mike (Zac Efron) returns to Ned’s house, where he has the difficult task of convincing Ned that he is in fact Mike. At a loss of what to do, Ned pretends to be Mike’s father and they register Mike back in high school to finish the life he never had the chance to live. High school presents a lot of new challenges for Mike, such as dressing cool, keeping up with the latest gadgets and making new friends. But nothing compares to being in high school with his own children. He discovers that his daughter, Maggie (Michelle Trachtenberg), is not nearly as innocent as he thought she was and his son, Alex (Sterling Knight), is the brunt of the star athlete’s jokes. But Mike’s most difficult realization is that he hasn’t been a very good father or husband. Mike befriends Alex and tries to instill him with enough confidence to join the basketball team. He gets close to Maggie’s obnoxious boyfriend and does everything in his power to break them up. Most importantly, he visits an unsuspecting Scarlet and rediscovers all the things that initially made him fall in love with her. Through his experiences, Mike realizes that he had chosen the perfect life he just never appreciated it. Now, he must figure out a way to transform back into his older self and won back his wife and kids.
Fact : Also known as “17″ & “Seventeen”.
Note : Handsome leading man Matthew Perry has managed to translate the fame and popularity he garnered from playing Chandler Bing on the hit sitcom “Friends” into an increasingly successful film career as a romantic comedy lead. Now, it took just one TV movie to change young actor Zac Efron from a supporting player to a bonafide teen star. Of course, that TV movie was The Disney Channel’s tween pop cultural phenomenon, “High School Musical” (2005), which elevated Efron to major league heartthrob status for his eminently crushable turn as a high school jock who discovers his hidden love for singing.
Star(s) to watch : Zac Efron as Mike O’ Donnell, Matthew Perry (”The Whole Nine Yards”, “Serving Sara”) as Mike O’Donnell, & Leslie Mann (”George of the Jungle”, “Last Man Standing”, “The 40 Year Old Virgin”) as Scarlett O’Donnell.
Director(s) : Burr Steers. Producer(s) : Adam Shankman, Jennifer Gibgot, & Jason Barrett. Genre : Comedy, Teen. Release date : April 17, 2009 Official website : http://www.17againmovie.com/
At the Forest Ridge Mall, head of security Ronnie Barnhardt patrols his jurisdiction with an iron fist, combating skateboarders, shoplifters and the occasional unruly customer while dreaming of the day when he can swap his flashlight for a badge and a gun.
His delusions of grandeur are put to the test when the mall is struck by a flasher.
Driven to protect and serve the mall and its patrons, Ronnie seizes the opportunity to showcase his underappreciated law enforcement talents on a grand scale, hoping his solution of this crime will earn a coveted spot at the police academy and the heart of his elusive dream girl Brandi, the hot make-up counter clerk who won’t give him the time of day.
But his single-minded pursuit of glory launches a turf war with the equally competitive Detective Harrison of the Conway Police, and Ronnie is confronted with the challenge of not only catching the flasher, but getting him before the real cops do.
Fact : Scottish, Irish, English, German, and French descent, Anna Faris was rated #57 on the Maxim Hot 100 of 2004 list.
Note : Seth Rogen was ranked #20 on Entertainment Weekly’s ‘30 Under 30′ the actors list (2008).
Star(s) to watch : Anna Faris (”My Super Ex-Girlfriend”, “The House Bunny”, “The Hot Chick”, “Scary Movie”) as Brandi, Ray Liotta (”Smokin’ Aces”, “Identity”, “Hannibal”, “John Q”, “Turbulence”, “Operation Dumbo Drop”) as Detective Harrison, & Seth Rogen (”The 40 Year Old Virgin”, “Pineapple Express”, “Zack and Miri Make a Porno”) as Ronnie Bardt.
Director(s) : Jody Hill. Producer(s) : Donald De Line, Andrew Haas, Marty Ewing, Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, & William Fay. Genre : Comedy. Release date : April 10, 2009 Official website : http://observe-and-report.warnerbros.com
The story begins with Goku, who seeks out upon his adoptive grandfather Grandpa Gohan’s dying request to find the great Master Roshi and gather all seven Dragon Balls. Of which he has one, in order to prevent the evil Lord Piccolo from succeeding in his desire to use the Dragon Balls to take over the world. And Goku’s quest is to obtain the mystical Dragon Balls before Piccolo does.
Fact : Based on source material from Akira Toriyama’s comic, and also known as “Dragonball Z”, this movie is produced by Stephen Chow, a martial arts powerhouse on the Hong Kong cinema circuit who also produced “Kung Fu Hustle” (2005), “Shaolin Soccer” (2004), & “CJ7″ (2008).
Note : They REALLY should let Stephen Chow himself do his magic for this movie, not just producing. Fortunately, the man who directed this movie is James Wong who also directed “Final Destination” (2000) and Jet Li’s “The One” (2001).
Star(s) to watch : Emmy Rossum (”The Day After Tomorrow”) as Bulma, Chow Yun Fat (”Bulletproof Monk”, “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”) as Master Roshi, Justin Chatwin (”War of the Worlds”, “Taking Lives”) as Goku, & Jamie Chung as Chi Chi.
Director(s) : James Wong. Producer(s) : Stephen Chow. Genre : Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Adaptation, Thriller. Release date : April 8, 2009 Official website : http://dragonballevolutionmovie.com/
In the movie “Labor Pains,” Thea (Lindsay Lohan) is a young assistant at a Military Publishing House struggling to support herself and her younger sister, Emma. After a misunderstanding occurs, Thea’s boss tries to fire her. In a panic, she lies to her boss and tells him she’s pregnant. What ensues? Well, just about what anyone would expect from a movie starring Lindsay Lohan with a script that seems more realistic than that of her own life, currently. She lies, and throws a hissy fit, determined to keep her job, even though she is barely competent (or sober enough) to slip in her own tampon.
Star(s) to watch : Lindsay Lohan (”Herbie Fully Loaded”, “Just My Luck”) as Thea, & Janeane Garofalo (”The Truth About Cats & Dogs”) as Claire.
Fact : At 17, Lindsay Lohan was 2003’s 5th hottest teen female star. She was one of People Magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People” (2004). She was ranked #10 in FHM’s 100 Sexiest Women in the World (2005), #4 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2005 list, #10 in FHM’s “100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005″ special supplement (2005), #14 in FHM magazine’s “100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006″ supplement (2006), #1 on Maxim magazine’s Hot 100 of 2007 list, #3 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2006 list, #9 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2008 list, and #18 on The 20 Top-Earning Young Superstars list by Forbes magazine (2007).
Note : After a dramatic detour with “I KNOW WHO KILLED ME”, Lindsay Lohan returns to comedy “LABOR PAINS”. When her difficult boss fires her, Thea invents a pregnancy so she can keep her job.
Director(s) : Lara Shapiro. Producer(s) : Boaz Davidson, Danny Dimbort, Brian Edwards, Joe Gatta, Warren T. Goz, David Grace, Lati Grobman, Pamela Hirsch, Avi Lerner, Stewart McMichael, Susan Pusateri, Celine Rattray, Rick Schwartz, Trevor Short, & Sabrina Sipantzi. Genre : Comedy. Release date : April 3, 2009
When a crime brings them back to L.A., fugitive ex-con Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) reignites his feud with agent Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker).
But as they are forced to confront a shared enemy, Dom and Brian must give in to an uncertain new trust if they hope to outmanuever him.
And from convoy heists to precision tunnel crawls across international lines, two men will find the best way to get revenge: push the limits of what’s possible behind the wheel.
Fact : Also known as “The Fast and the Furious 4″.
Note : Vin Diesel and Paul Walker reteam for the ultimate chapter of the franchise built on speed: “Fast & Furious”. Heading back to the streets where it all began, they rejoin Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster to blast muscle, tuner and exotic cars across Los Angeles and floor through the Mexican desert in the new high-octane action-thriller.
Star(s) to watch : Paul Walker (”Eight Below”, “Joy Ride”, “2 Fast 2 Furious”, “Into the Blue”) as Brian O’Conner, Jordana Brewster (”The Faculty”) as Mia Toretto, Michelle Rodriguez (”Resident Evil”) as Letty Marciano, & Vin Diesel (”xXx”) as Dominic Toretto.
Director(s) : Justin Lin. Producer(s) : Vin Diesel, Neal H. Moritz, & Michael Fottrell. Genre : Action, Adventure, Thriller, Sequel, Sport. Release date : April 03, 2009 Official website : http://www.fastandfuriousmovie.net/
A terrifying story of a young girl who wakes up in a casket with a traumatic head injury and no memory of her identity.
She quickly realizes she was abducted by a Deranged Serial Murderer and in an isolated rural town she must survive the night and outsmart the technologically inclined killer who is hellbent on finishing what he started.
Star(s) to watch : Thomas Dekker as Tommy, Lena Headey (”300″, “Vacancy”, “The Cave”) as Cindy, & Bobbi Sue Luther (”Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo”) as The Girl.
Fact : Written, produced, and directed by Robert Hall. Note : This horror movie reunites Thomas Dekker and Lena Headey in a big screen following their hit TV series “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”.
Director(s) : Robert Hall. Producer(s) : Robert Hall, Kevin Bocarde, & Seth Nagel. Genre : Suspense, Horror, Thriller. Release date : April 2, 2009(New York City, New York) Official website : http://www.LaidToRestMovie.com
